Laowa 12mm f2.8 zero distortion lens - a Samyang 14mm killer?

Stumbled across a mention of the newest lens from Chinese lens designer Laowa (Venus). I already own their 15mm 1:1 macro lens - a unique product of good quality, and they also have 60mm 2:1 infinity focus macro lens (another unique one).

Now it looks like they came up with a Samyang (Rokinon etc.) 14mm f2.8 killer - even wider (12mm) full frame lens, same aperture (f2.8), but addressing the most serious issue of Samyang - strong moustache type distortion. The new Laowa lens is claimed to have 0.2% distortion, which should be considered totally negligible for such an ultra-wide angle lens.

Not much information yet. There is a thread in Chinese apparently with many sample photos:

Focal Length: 12mmLargest Aperture: 2.8Angle of View: 121.96°Lens Construction: 16 Elements in 10 Groups (2 which are aspherical and 2 which are ED)Iris: 7 bladesShortest Focus Distance: 18 cmLargest Reproduction Ratio: 0.2Lens Dimensions: Approximately 74.8 diameter, 82.2mm longWeight: 570 gramsThis lens is fully manual and due to the front element, it does not allow screw-in filters. However, we specifically designed the lens hood to allow 70x200mm rectangular filter systems, a conventional lens hood is also available.

No information about pricing, though judging from their prior designs it should be competitive.

Of course, very important points - like whether it will match the legendary sharpness of Samyang 14mm, or whether the coma will be well controlled (important for astro photography) remains to be seen. But at this point it looks very promising, especially for full frame shooters.

Bassat wrote in post #17899171Looks like the same projection as my Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 FE. My initial reaction is this one is better. I'd like to compare.

Not even close. Your Rokinon 12mm lens is a FF fisheye lens (= huge distortions; as a result it is a narrow purpose lens). The new Laowa 12mm is a rectilinear lens with extremely small distortion (meaning it is a general purposes UWA lens - great for architecture etc.). The proper comparison would be to Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens, or the new Canon 11-24 f4L lens.

Bassat wrote in post #17899184My guess is you've never used or seen the products of a Rokinon 12mm FE.

True. But I own the crop sensor equivalent of this fisheye lens, Rokinon 8mm, so know pretty well about the distortion these lenses produce (stereographic) - better than other fisheye lenses, but not even close to rectilinear UWA lenses.

Just try to reproduce the last sample shot posted here with your fisheye - no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to make the bottom row of chairs straight - instead it will look like a huge bow.

Just mounted my Rok 12 and took some shots around the house. I concede. There is no comparison, if comparing the entire frame. I am going into town for a few (does that sound like Little Joe?) minutes. I'll snap a few shots of things more distant than my fireplace. I am sure I am on the losing end of this argument, by I am fielding a 180 degree lens compared to a 120 degree lens. How can they both be 12mm? Anyway, back in an hour or so.

Bassat wrote in post #17899243............... I am sure I am on the losing end of this argument, by I am fielding a 180 degree lens compared to a 120 degree lens. How can they both be 12mm? Anyway, back in an hour or so.

pulsar123 wrote in post #17899179Not even close. Your Rokinon 12mm lens is a FF fisheye lens (= huge distortions; as a result it is a narrow purpose lens). The new Laowa 12mm is a rectilinear lens with extremely small distortion (meaning it is a general purposes UWA lens - great for architecture etc.). The proper comparison would be to Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens, or the new Canon 11-24 f4L lens.

Again, I concede. I shot several frames in which is it hard to tell I am shooting with a 12mm FE. If I intentionally exaggerate the effect, it is most certainly HUGE. I'm OK with posting a few comparison shots on request, but they are not really germane to this thread.

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